How does Google rank websites?

But if you want to get the lion’s share of online visibility, aim for the top three positions.

As this latest CTR study proves, the first placer usually gets a 30% click-through-rate (CTR), followed by second and third positions which claim anywhere between 10-20%.

The lower you rank, the less likely that people will click on your link.

Your goal, of course, is to capture the majority of these clicks. Sounds simple but getting to the top positions requires science—something that Google is very good at.

Let’s have a quick overview of how Google rankings work.

Step 1: Crawling

The ranking process starts at the initial discovery of the web page. The search engine spiders “crawl” the web every day in search of new pages to add to the registry.

Google can discover and start crawling your site in two ways:

By following a link from a known and established site to your new page. However, links from comments, advertisements, paid links or those that don’t comply with the Google Webmaster Guidelines won’t be followed.

Step 2: Indexing

Once the page is discovered, Google will then subject it to a cross-examination. It will analyze the entire page from the main content down to images and videos embedded on it.

All pages will be treated the same way and stored in the massive and ever-growing database collectively known as the Google index.

Step 3: Ranking

This is where the real battle begins.

To determine which pages in its index are worth including in the top results, Google uses machine learning algorithms. This technology is already good on its own but it still requires input from humans to improve the accuracy of the search results.

To give you an idea of how these raters operate, Google has published its 200-page Search Quality Guidelines, the same document used by the raters to separate the top-notch content from the mediocre.

The human raters don’t have a direct influence on the search rankings. In fact, pages they’ve rated poorly won’t be kicked out of the top results right away.

However, the data from the raters is fed to Google’s search algorithms. The algorithms, in turn, will eventually become smarter and weed out not just the low-performing pages reported by the raters but also other pages that weren’t reviewed.

Of course, Google is too smart to give away all its secrets in one e-book.

If anything, the Search Quality Guidelines provide valuable insights into what the search engine giant considers as “high-quality” content, setting the foundation for what we’ve all come to know as Google ranking factors.

Do Google ranking factors really exist?

That Google uses a set of ranking signals or factors to refine its top results is already an established fact. Their exact number is what remains a mystery.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no 200 ranking factors. This misconception probably started in 2009 when Google’s Matt Cutts mentioned at PubCon that the search engine uses over 200 variables in its algorithms.

When it comes to Google, nothing is set in stone. Between 2009 and this year, we can only imagine how many variables have been added to make Google the juggernaut that it is today.

We may not know everything, but Google pops up every now and then to give us a peek of how it ranks pages.

A. Number of backlinks and linking domains

Why it matters:

Based on several Google patents, we can infer that a website’s link score is the sum of all quality scores extracted from different pages linking to it. In other words, the more pages linking to you, the higher your overall link score will be.

But not all links are created equal. More links won’t necessarily mean better ranking if the majority of these come from low-quality pages or what Google considers “link schemes.”

Link diversity also counts. Several links from a single website have relatively less value than several links from different sources.

Google only counts all the backlinks from a website as one, so diversify your links if you want them to influence your rankings.

Your action plan:

However, the SERPs have grown extremely competitive so a “build it and they will come” mindset simply won’t get you far.

A competitor analysis is a better starting point. Look for the top websites ranking for the same keyword you’re aiming for and then analyze their link profiles and scores to see what you’re up against.

You already know Google hates link schemes. Now it’s time to learn how to get the right kinds of links. Below are some tried-and-tested link building strategies:

Infographics – While some say they’ve lost their power, infographics remain a great strategy for acquiring links. Think of a cool idea that’s never been explored before in your niche/industry and then turn it into attention-grabbing art that people would love to share on social media or republish on their blogs.

Expert roundups – This one has been overused too but it can still make an impact as long as it provides valuable information not found anywhere else.

Influencer interviews – If you manage to have an influencer sit down with you in a podcast or video interview, it’s already a battle half-won. Leverage this opportunity by discussing a controversial topic or one that will make waves enough to get everybody linking back to you.

Free online tools – When you create an awesome free tool that exceeds users’ expectations, they can pay you back not with money but with tons of high-quality links. It may require more work than other strategies, but as proven by free tools like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer, it’s well worth every single cent.

Your action plan:

Aside from creating “link bait” content, you also have to perform regular link audits to weed out bad links that may be driving your rankings down.

If you’re using Monitor Backlinks, you’ll get daily or weekly reports to help you keep track of incoming or existing links.

The tool also allows you to block bad backlinks before they even begin to influence your rankings.

To do this, choose “Your Links” from the main menu to get a thorough overview of all your backlinks including their spam scores.

Low-quality links are flagged with an exclamation point symbol (enclosed in an orange triangle) so you can review them one by one.

Once proven to be harmful and spammy, you can click the orange symbol and choose “Disavow domain” from the list of options.

This built-in disavow tool will basically tell Google to disregard the link and prevent it from influencing your rankings.

C. Link anchor text

Why it matters:

Google favors relevant links. But how does it know whether the backlinks are relevant or not?

You’ve guessed it: Anchor texts.

The anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. It gives both Google spiders and readers an idea of what the page the link is pointing to is all about.

While there’s no official announcement declaring anchor text as a ranking signal, the fact that it’s been included in Google’s SEO Starter Guide speaks volumes to how important it is.

Anchor texts inform Google how relevant the linked page is and the target keyword it should rank for. However, you can’t optimize all your anchor texts with the same target keyword like people from pre-Penguin penalty days used to do.

The rule is simple:

Diversify your anchor texts or Google will see you as someone trying to game the system.

While there’s no perfect formula on what anchor texts you should use, the graph below provides a more balanced approach that will help you avoid Google penalties:

Your action plan:

Following the suggestions above, ensure that you use the proper ratio of anchor texts every time you write a guest post on other sites.

For backlinks that you’re not in control of, such as those nefariously created by your competitors or naturally given to you by other sites, Monitor Backlinks gives you an easy way to track their anchor texts.

With this tool, you’ll be able to track and filter new backlinks in real time as well as check the anchor texts of your existing backlinks. This way, you can either disavow bad links or reach out to website owners to have the anchor texts changed.

To view anchor texts, go to “Your Links” and click “Filters.”

Look for “Anchor text” among the list of options. You can filter your results by typing the anchor text in the box provided.

Choose “Exact” to show backlinks with the exact anchor text that you provided or “Partial” to show less restrictive results. You can also tick the box that says “Empty” to show backlinks without anchor texts.

Once the results have been filtered, click the links under “Linking Page” one by one to further investigate the anchor texts and find out if there’s an opportunity to optimize them.

2. High-quality content

Content is still king.

After all, you won’t earn a single natural backlink if your content stinks. And did I mention that Google’s Andrey Lipattsev revealed that it’s one of the top three ranking factors?

In fact, one study shows that Google is gradually leaning towards semantic search, meaning optimizing an article’s title with your target keywords doesn’t have as much impact as it used to.

So how can you groom your content for SEO success? By finding what your readers really need and serving them with content that answers all their questions and then some.

A. Content relevance

Why it matters:

Google has gotten smarter. With algorithm updates like RankBrain and Hummingbird, it’s clear that Google is serious about giving users a better experience.

RankBrain is actually a ranking signal and part of the bigger Hummingbird update. It’s artificial intelligence that works like an interpreter, enabling Google to produce accurate search results even if you use uncommon or hard-to-understand language.

If Google can come up with this update, it’s obvious that it’s hell-bent on giving only the best content that satisfies user intent. And if your content isn’t relevant to what the user actually needs, Google has a systematic way of figuring it out.

Although their functions as ranking signals are debatable, various studies prove that the following metrics influence how Google ranks your pages:

Click-through rate (CTR) or the number of people who click your link on Google search results divided by the total number of views or impressions.

Bounce rate and dwell time are metrics you can find in Google Analytics that provide valuable insights into how engaged readers are with your content.

If CTR is the door, your content is the showroom. Bounce rate is the number of people who leave your website after landing on a page, while dwell time is how long these people stay after they’ve arrived.

Although the ideal numbers vary depending on your niche, one thing is clear: You’re less likely to rank higher if people don’t stick around on your site and instead quickly return to search results (also known as pogo-sticking) to look for better content.

Your action plan:

To ensure that the content you’re creating is in line with user intent, you have to check the keywords they’re using in the first place.

Both Google Analytics and the “Performance” page in Google Search Console should provide a list of keywords you’re already ranking for. But how well you rank for these keywords compared to your competitors is up to you to figure out.

Fortunately, Monitor Backlinks can do the heavy lifting for you in this area, too.

Click on “Add Keywords ” and add all the keywords you want to track. These include all the keywords you’ve previously discovered in Google Analytics and Search Console as well as any new keywords that you’re trying to rank for.

Next, go to the “Competitor Links” tab and add the URLs of your main competitors.

Once you’re done, return to the “Rank Tracker” tab to see if your competitors are ranking higher or lower for the same keywords.

If you’re being outranked by your competitors, it means your page is still relatively new or your competitor’s page satisfies user intent better.

Hootsuite also observed that higher social media engagement results in positive changes in ranking.

Correlation doesn’t mean causation. But based on available data, we can safely infer that social media shares can indirectly influence rankings.

Here are two reasons why:

Higher social signals mean more eyeballs that will see your content. If an article goes viral or generates enough social media buzz, you can get the attention of other content creators and eventually earn backlinks.

Social media promotion is an effective way to build your brand. As long as you consistently publish awesome content and engage with your followers, people will develop an affinity with your brand. As a result, those who already trust you can easily recognize your website’s name in Google search results and click it right away. Higher CTR, as we’ve pointed out earlier, can indirectly lead to higher rankings.

Your action plan:

Choose your platform.

Not all social media platforms will work for you. While some thrive on Facebook, there are other businesses who will find more success with less popular sites like Pinterest.

See where your competitors are getting traction and try to start building your audience there.

Engage with your followers.

The purpose of social media is to build connections. With various distractions from every direction, you need to think of ways for your content to stand out in social media newsfeeds.

Be ready to answer user queries quickly and appease those who are dissatisfied. Customer service goes a long way in building your online reputation.

Make sure to check your Google Analytics to get insights into the social media platforms that give you the most referral traffic. Doing so will help you choose which social media buttons to display and avoid overwhelming your followers with too many buttons.

4. Mobile-first user experience

Why it matters:

Soon after, Google started mobile-first indexing which basically crawled and indexed the mobile version of website pages as opposed to the desktop version.

The goal, as usual, was to improve user experience across all devices. While mobile-first indexing had been ongoing for quite some time, it was only in 2018 when Google officially rolled it out.

While the new update may not have a huge impact on rankings, Google is now favoring pages that are mobile-friendly over those that aren’t optimized for mobile devices yet.

But with 85% of websites now optimized for mobile devices, it’s not enough to just be mobile-friendly. To beat your competition, you should always think mobile-first, meaning improving the overall performance of your mobile pages, particularly speed.

Your action plan:

Also, ensure that the mobile version of your website has been added and verified in Google Search Console.

Lastly, don’t launch the mobile version until it’s complete and fully ready. Releasing a broken mobile site may only hurt your rankings, so stick to the desktop version while waiting for the completion.

5. Page speed

Why it matters:

A sluggish website makes it impossible for a page to get indexed, let alone to rank. Google has limited crawl budget so when your website is slow, the search engine spiders can only crawl a few pages, ultimately hurting the way your content is indexed.

While you may have valid reasons for every plugin installed on your website, some of them are huge burdens that can be replaced with better alternatives.

To see which plugins are weighing your website down, deactivate them all at once. Then, activate each plugin one by one, carefully testing your website speed after each reactivation to reveal the true culprits.

Once they’re identified, you can either search for alternative plugins or just remove them altogether.

6. Other technical signals

While they may not have the same level of impact as the ranking signals above, the following technical factors can still drag your website down if you don’t play by the rules:

HTTPS – In 2014, Google described having a secure connection as a very lightweight signal in ranking pages. Since its effect is minimal, you can choose to delay switching to HTTPS. But why delay the migration when non-HTTPS sites are now flagged as “Not secure” sites in Chrome browsers?

If you don’t want to scare away your new visitors and increase your bounce rate, the best time to switch is now.

H1 and H2 tags – Google’s John Mueller himself confirmed that title tags are ranking factors. Don’t forget to optimize your heading and subheadings with your keywords. As long as you don’t over-optimize and keep things natural, these tags can help Google analyze your content better.

Remove ads that are covering the main content and leading users to another page when clicked. Some exceptions include legally-required popups (like for age verification), login dialogs and small banner ads you can easily dismiss.

Final thoughts on Google ranking factors

Google ranking factors provide a roadmap on how to properly optimize your website.

While nobody except Google employees knows the full list of ranking factors, the ones discussed in this guide have been proven to have the most significant impact.

Zeroing in on these ranking factors will save you a lot of time and resources.

And if you combine your knowledge of Google ranking factors with an indispensable tracking tool like Monitor Backlinks, you’ll be able to see your website grow and replicate the same success for years to come.

Written By

Luisito E. Batongbakal Jr. is a former nurse who gave up the stethoscope to share the power of written words. Since then, he has sold a blog for $45,000, turned another into a book and is now one of the content wizards behind Monitor Backlinks' blog. He is also the founder and content strategist of The Calm Panda, an emerging blog about all things relaxing. For inquiries, reach him at luiseestrue@gmail.com